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WS Marauders make semi finals of iPRO Super Sevens Series

MATCH report from Billy White, Wooden Spoon Marauders Manager

“The rugby at Maidenhead for the second stage of the iPRO Super Sevens Series saw a step up in competition from the first leg in Bury St Edmunds a month ago. Wooden Spoon Marauders found themselves in the toughest of draws losing the first match to an Apache side much improved from Bury. We started strongly and played some great rugby running up a lead of 19 – 0 before hitting some poor form in the second half and eventually losing 29 – 19. Next up were favourites Samurai who had already beaten Apache 40 – 17 so we knew we were up against it. However, the boys dug deep and fronted up to the bigger Samurai team staying in touch until the end with a late Samurai try taking the score to 26 – 12.

“That put us into the Plate Semis where we met Wailers, beating them 31 – 26 in an exciting match that took us into the Plate Finals against England IPF. The young England players had started to work well together at this stage and with three Wooden Spoon Marauders players injured we eventually went down by 4 tries to 0.

“So frustrating, a hit and miss affair is the best way to describe our performance, sublime one moment and then ‘off the boil’ the next. We played some excellent rugby but didn’t have the consistency to keep it going for a full game. Due to player non-availability for Maidenhead, we were without three key players but the new faces in the team did a great job in trying to merge with the squad‘s playing style and technique. There were some excellent performances on the day with three players, in particular, making their mark. Ciaron ‘Big Hit’ Moore going through route one whenever he had the chance, our illustrious skipper ‘Rookie’ keeping the opposition guessing where the next play was coming from and relative ‘Newbie’ to the team, Josh Lewantuva having a great tournament. Also to all Wooden Spoon Marauders, players, managers and supporters, thank you for spreading the PR message for the charity, keep up the good work!

“So, three weeks to get ready for the penultimate leg of the iPRO Super Sevens Series at Worcester’s Sixways Stadium on the 1st June. Keith and Gareth have arranged a training session before the tournament, make sure you are there! Don’t forget, Samurai went on to win the final on Saturday, you stayed in touch with them in Maidenhead and with a bit more focus on the consistency you can beat them in Worcester. Good luck!”